VIVE LA DIFFERENCE

Zsync handles a special case: large volume download files that change frequently but not drastically. Charly shows how this handy file fetcher can save you time and bandwidth.

Zsync – the name is reminiscent of Rsync, the Swiss Army knife of file transfers. The Rsync algorithm is at Zsync’s core, but Zsync has a different purpose. Whereas Rsync synchronizes whole filesystem trees, Zsync focuses on downloading single, bulk files. Imagine a company has tailored a Linux distribution to suit its own needs. They upload an ISO file of the distribution to their Intranet server. Whenever an administrator needs to set up a new PC, they just download the distribution from the server. This is something that occurs quite regularly, as the distribution is updated continually.

Charly may be a traditionalist with sync-unfriendly duplicate home directories, but a little utility called Unison helps keep his data consistent . This month you’ll learn why Rsync sometimes isn’t enough.

Leafnode is a Usenet server for small sites where just a few users need access to a large number of groups. The Leafnode server is designed to recover from errors autonomously and needs very little attention.

Without TinyURL.com and similar URL shortening services, many Twitter postings would only have enough space left for “Look at this.” But if you run a web server yourself, you might prefer to grow your own shortener.